2016 Trip Journal

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Re: 2016 Trip Journal

Postby CallieO on Wed Jun 22, 2016 1:08 pm

Friday, 6/22/16 (Day 11), 3:31 a.m. Pacific:

I got up a couple hours ago after going to bed fairly early, and am getting a little roleplaying done. Today's the day we start heading back east. If I'm not too much mistaken, we'll be back on Mountain Time before we even leave Nevada. Mom found a CD of the soundtrack from "My Best Friend's Wedding" which she asked me to rip to my phone, so I did. I even added a few songs from it to my alpha playlist after listening to them. A couple of the cover versions were pretty brutal, though!

I've gotten sick and thrown up the last couple days-- both from the smell of the cooler inside Snowy, and from the smell of Dad's farts. Hopefully that's all behind me now.
"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe."
--Dr. Beverly Crusher

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Re: 2016 Trip Journal

Postby CallieO on Fri Jun 24, 2016 7:47 am

Wednesday, 6/22/16, 8:46 a.m. Pacific:

Eastward ho! We said a fond goodbye to the hotel, our home for the last five nights. No daily destination in mind yet, but we'll certainly pass through Utah today. Dad's gonna drive through at least Salt Lake City.

Wedesday, 6/22/16, 11:53 a.m. Mountain:

We took the scenic route through the city of Wendover, which is half-Nevada, half-Utah. You could tell when we crossed states because all the casinos dried up.

Before leaving, we hit up an auto parts place for two additional key fob batteries, just in case all hell breaks loose. I am NOT getting stranded in the middle of the desert.

Wednesday, 6/22/16, 8:23 p.m. Mountain:

We're stopping at the same hotel in Rawlins, WY, that we did on our trip out here. Right now Mom and I are waiting outside CIty Market for Dad and Tim to come out with dinner. 11 miles ago, in Wyoming still, the Maintenance Required light came on on Snowy's dashboard, as we expected it would. We'll get the oil changed for free at our dealership back home.

Thursday, 6/23/16 (Day 12), 6:30 a.m. Mountain:

I got up about half an hour ago and made the long, labyrinthian trek to the hotel's "Wyoming Room" for breakfast-- sausage patties, scrambled eggs, and orange juice. Mom found herself out of breath yesterday trying to get to our room, because we're about as far away from the front desk as possible while still being on the first floor.

To make matters a little more frustrating, we seem to be far enough away from the front desk that we're getting crap for internet signal this far out. I've been unable to get online.

Thursday, 6/23/16, 10:55 a.m. Mountain:

Mom negotiated a late check-out time of 1 o'clock, so I went back to bed after breakfast. She and I were both awakened by a thunderclap. We've had very cooperative weather on this trip so far, but it's raining now. Mom has suggested we stay an extra day to allow the weather to pass us by. I provisionally agreed, except I still can't get any damn internet access! Dad and Tim are sleeping right now; we'll see what they have to add to the conversation.

Thursday, 6/23/16, 5:46 p.m. Mountain:

We ran into a brief hail storm about an hour ago. (A later visual inspection of the car appeared to verify that there was no damage.) Dad, who's been driving most of the last two days (giving Mom the last two days off), decreased speed to compensate. We didn't spot any tornadoes, thankfully.

Three and a half hours to the next hotel.

Thursday, 6/23/16, 9:39 p.m. Mountain:

We're stopping at the Apple barrel restaurant at a truck stop in Odessa, Nebraska, for dinner. They have like ten different kinds of pie here. I decided on blueberry pie (which I ate before my dinner). Dinner was corned beef hash, hash browns, two eggs over easy, and toast.

Friday, 6/24/16 (Day 13), 12:08 a.m. Central:

We finally arrived at our hotel. They serve breakfast for four hours here instead of the usual three, so we might sleep in a bit.

There's some crazy flooding in West Virginia, with 55 of the 66 counties under a state of emergency. Dad said we'll figure out how to traverse West Virginia when we're a little bit closer to it. I hope she knows what she's doing.
"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe."
--Dr. Beverly Crusher

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Re: 2016 Trip Journal

Postby CallieO on Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:25 pm

Friday, 6/24/16, 8:42 a.m. Central:

Mom and I had breakfast just now, and we asked for a 1 o'clock check-out time just in case. Doesn't necessarily mean we'll take it, though. When we got back to the room, Dad and Tim had woken up, and Dad is against the idea of leaving late. Now that I'm fully awake, I could care less, honestly.
"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe."
--Dr. Beverly Crusher

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Re: 2016 Trip Journal

Postby CallieO on Sat Jun 25, 2016 4:57 am

Friday, 6/24/16, 10:01 a.m. Central:

Dad and Tim begged off the trip to the Indianapolis Zoo, saying they're old and just wanna get home as soon as possible. I acquiesced, saying my heart wasn't set on it or anything.

We're calling our AAA representative, Susan, for help navigating back home and avoiding the flooding. Hopefully it's not actually flooding back home.

Friday, 6/24/16, 4:50 p.m. Central:

On the way out, we were in Iowa for all of half an hour or so, and much of that was stopping by a gas statio. On the way back, we've been in Iowa for about 220 miles so far. Today's destination: Bloomington, IL.

We're getting along, the four of us, better than I expected we would on the return journey for the most part. I didn't realize my front passenger seat was encroaching on Mom's leg room behind me, until Tim and Dad pointed it out to me. She certainly didn't complain about it. So I moved the chair up, and not only is she more comfortable, but we found three drinks back there, as well as Mom's Human Rights Campaign sippy mug that she lost a week ago and we'd given up on finding.

Friday, 6/24/16, 9:17 p.m. Central:

We stopped by Walmart to pick up some dinner, which means sandwiches for the four of us. I also got out money to loan to Dad and Tim to help with their living expenses when they get back home, and some money to help them get back home after they leave Virginia. We were pleasantly surprised when the hotel we arrived at turned out to have a breakfast area, despite what it says on the Choice Hotels app. We got here before dark for a nice change of pace.
"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe."
--Dr. Beverly Crusher

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Re: 2016 Trip Journal

Postby CallieO on Sun Jun 26, 2016 5:54 am

Saturday, 6/25/16 (Day 14), 12:21 p.m. Central:

I'd hoped to go to Cracker Barrel or Bob Evans for breakfast, but Dad and Tim were eager to get underway, so I just had a bagel and some orange juice, left over from the hotel's breakfast bar. Hopefully I can convince Dad to stop at a burger joint for lunch in a few hours.

We're on the road to Indianapolis. I think we'll be stopping somewhere in Ohio today, a state that we didn't enter on the way to Nevada.

Saturday, 6/25/16, 2:38 p.m. Eastern:

Finally back on Eastern time. We stopped at a rest area a short time ago. 19 minutes to Indianapolis, the city Laura and I grew up in. Haven't been there since 2004.

Saturday, 6/25/16, 4:49 p.m. Eastern:

We stopped for lunch at a Steak & Shake restaurant in Indianapolis; all for of us had steakburgers. Mom's was piled high with garlic; I've dubbed it the Dracula Burger.

Afterwards we filled the tank at a Circle K, and now we're on the road again, with Tim at the wheel. Mom's respite from driving is still in place, as it has been on the entire return trip. Today's destination: Triadelphia, WV. After another 7 hours of driving tomorrow, we should be home in Suffolk, VA.

Saturday, 6/25/16, 11:16 p.m. Eastern:

We arrived at the hotel in Triadelphia, WV a short time ago, and ate rotisserie chicken, macaroni salad, potato salad, peaches, and mini-pies for dinner. We watched the tail-end of the U.S. Men's Gymnastics Olympic Trials. Now the TV's off and we're just relaxing. Dad's doing some laundry.
"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe."
--Dr. Beverly Crusher

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Re: 2016 Trip Journal

Postby CallieO on Mon Jun 27, 2016 6:53 pm

Sunday, 6/26/16 (Day 15), 11:30 a.m. Eastern:

We just got on the Pennsylania Turnpike. Pennsylvania was another state we didn't visit on the way out. Leavig the hotel, we were down to two bars of gas, and it took a few minutes down the road before I realized it. So we pulled off and refilled the tank shortly after arriving in PA. I hope that while we're here, we can stop and get some raisin-filled cookies and birch beer-- signature foods of Pennsylvania, which fill me with nostalgia for the summers spent here with Nee-Nee and Pop-Pop.

Sunday, 6/26/16, 2:12 p.m.:

We had to go seven miles out of our way and into the town of Everett, but we found some raisin-filled cookies and birch beer at the Foodliner there. Cookies are as good as I remember! Unfortunately they didn't have 12-packs of birch beer-- just glass bottles and 2-liters-- so I got a 2-liter which we'll consume later.

About 5 1/2 driving hours to home.

Sunday, 6/26/16, 4:36 p.m.:

Our course took us briefly back into West Virginia as we travel south towards home. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel in Martinsburg, and as always I got a chicken and dumpling platter. Tim declined to join us; his teeth are really bothering him. He had a banana and relaxed on the porch.

While we were at the restaurant, Dad's purse broke, so I got her a new one. I also picked out a card for Mom, whose birthday is on Wednesday.

Mom is driving now, for the first time on the entire return trip.

Sunday, 6/26/16, 5:21 p.m.:

For the last several days, Mom has been talking about visiting an ice cream parlor in Fredericksburg, VA, called Carl's. It takes cash only. Circumstances have conspired to keep us from getting cash back for a little while to allow us to prepare for it.

So I went into Food Lion to make a small purchase and get $40 cash back. No sooner had I completed a transaction for two candy bars thanI realized I'd forgotten to get cash back. So I went back through the line to get a couple bags of Doritos. Thankfully someone opened a new register, and I was put right in front. Got the forty bucks this time!

To add to the hilarity, I took long enough in the store that my family knew what I'd done. I couldn't tell most of the story myself!

Sunday, 6/26/16, 8:00 p.m.:

We stopped by Carl's, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the line was about 25 minutes long. Carl's sells only vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry-flavored frozen custard. Dad and I got half-pints of chocolate, while Mom got a hot fudge sundae.

When Mom asked me if it was worth the visit, I shrugged and said, "It was an ice cream place."

Sunday, 6/26/16, 9:40 p.m.:

We were in some heavily forested areas for awhile but we're making progress. We just entered Williamsburg. In Newport News, we'll cross the James River Bridge into Isle of Wight, and from there, we'll get into Suffolk.

Dad and Tim are booked for one night in the same Franklin hotel they stayed at upon first arriving, and then they'll head home tomorrow morning. I told them I'd be happy to pay for extra days at the hotel, but they're eager to get home as soon as possible.

Monday, 6/27/16, 12:12 p.m.:

We got home last night about 12:30 in the morning after getting to the hotel, unloading Dad and Tim's stuff from the back of Snowy, saying our fond goodbyes, and going to the Walmart for milk and sweet bratwurst. We had a fabulous trip, and far contrary to my concern about running out of money, we had a little under $2,000 left over. It's good to be home.
"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe."
--Dr. Beverly Crusher

Player of Callie Volopa, Viaa, Auric Lightwing, Brian Perano, Erin Tarcata and Aimee Sarasiné

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